Mentoring Bites
by New Elysia
Summary: Mentoring the Pravus isn't all it's cut out to be, is it D'Ablo? Especially since you've managed to piss off more than a few Vampires who would love to rip you limb from limb for becoming a traitor. sequel to The Mentor R&R (moved to Archive of our own)
1. Prologue

Prologue

The vampire at the desk sat quietly, drumming his fingers against the dark stained wood. The office around him had been mostly unchanged and untouched for the last twenty years or so. It looked almost exactly the same as when the previous occupant had used it. Thought some brighter colors had been splashed everywhere in the form of decorations, paint, and furniture. On a coat hanger next to the large black doors, was a long black coat. One that held a lot of history in its threads, though anyone who first laid eyes on it might mistake it as something rather new. But he knew, he knew that the coat was much older than it appeared and had much more than just monetary value to it. It had seen and done so much more than just keep its wearer warm from the cold. The room was in silence, this was something the man at the desk had grown to dislike sometimes. The vampire stood from the office chair and looked around, he felt like everything had changed. Which in truth, it had. Twenty-five years had passed since the start of the saga that was his life. And everything had changed for him, people turned against him and enemies became close friends. The vampire turned his attention to a large glass door that led out onto the roof of the building. He could see the setting sun following its course across the sky. Leaving the world behind it into darkness for a few hours. He knew that soon vampires around the city would stir and begin their nighttime activities.

With a small smile, the young vampire walked over to a bookshelf. On this shelf were CDs and other recorded items that held different types of music. A hand gently reached out and trailed along the small plastic cases. With a bit of resignation, he pulled one free from its spot. Looking down, he couldn't help but smile at the face reflected back at him a pair of dark onyx eyes, pale skin, and black hair. Many features the vampire had shared with his father, features that remained unchanged since his 18th birthday. With silent movements, the vampire walked over to his computer and opened up the disk drive. He placed the CD in and shut the compartment, within a few seconds music started. It wasn't anything upbeat or exciting, it wasn't music that the vampire would listen to when he wanted to lift his spirits. It was a more somber music, music the allowed him time for grieving. To shed tears for people he'd lost, for those he missed. The vampire grabbed his coat from the rack and slipped it over his shoulders. Though he didn't put his arms through the sleeves, he never did. They'd always been much to long for him, though the young vampire had always thought he'd grow into it. But it seemed that day would never come, vampires didn't age and grow like humans. So the coat had become more of a cape for the young vampire. Deep onyx eyes then focused on the glass door.

With a small gust of wind that ruffled the vampire's hair and coat slightly, the glass door opened on its own. Allowing the creature access to the outside, with soft footsteps, he walked onto the rooftop. The sun had just reached bellow the horizon, bathing the city in night. As the music drifted through the air, the vampire walked over and leaning against the railing. Dark eyes looking out over his empire, his world. He closed his eyes, allowing thoughts and memories, one's that he kept sealed away all day long, to be free. For some reason though, they started to flow back to a time he'd desperately tried to move on from. Memories of a shaking hand and unmoving lips, eyes dulling with death as life faded away. A man that had become more than just a friend, who'd become something like a father to him. The vampire felt the threat of tears in his eyes, he allowed them to be free. _"I'm going to die, Vlad…"_ he remembered the sound of the voice in his head, he soft reassurance it tried to give him. It hadn't worked, not in the slightest. But the man had tried, the man wanted the boy holding him to be strong. _"It's going to happen…"_ tears dripped down onto the rooftop like rain drops. Temporarily darkening the surface before disappearing. Vlad buried his face into the sleeves of his shirt. The voice played again in his head, this time with more detailed visions of the past. A blood stained shirt, a large hole through the elder vampire's chest, his eyes filling with tears, but his mouth stayed turned upwards. A smile, warm, kind, and almost loving. _"There's no way out of this"_ the voice whispered, _"it will be ok"_ Vlad shook as he allowed himself to cry. To feel the pain he'd kept at bay for years, to allow the appearance of a strong leader to falter, just out of sight of everyone else. _"I'm so proud of you, please remember that"_ Vlad could still feel the hand stroking his face, whipping away tears and calming him. A sigh caught his attention, "Vladimir, you know you don't have to do this to yourself." A voice, warm and full of care, said. The sound of heaving boots hitting the roof top made the vampire turn his head. He smiled softly, revealing the same shy and timid boy he'd always be, but that the world would never see.

 ** _A/N: I know, I know I've taken this down and republished it. But for a good reason, I finished chapter like 8 or 9, and then realized how much the original prologue actually sucked. Like really sucked! So I've moved that to chapter 1 and rewrote the prologue. Nothing's been changed other than this, I'm also reposting it because it's much easier to do than trying move and rename everything in the preexisting story for me._**

 ** _Yours in Eternity -_**

 ** _(/|-\\)_**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Vlad's eyes slowly opened, he felt drowsy and confused for a moment. As the room around him came into focus, he sat up. His ears focused on yelling that was coming from below him. The sound that had awoken him from his deep slumber. Vlad caught the voice of his uncle as he shouted at someone. Said person was too quiet for Vlad to pick up, even with his Vampiric hearing. Though he could tell it sounded like Otis was angry. "You must be crazy if you think I'm going to believe that!" Otis's voice filtered through the house, Vlad pushed himself out of bed and stretched. The Halfling then looked over at the clock, it was past noon. "Fuck" he whispered. He'd already slept half the day away, summer or not, he'd wanted to try and get in touch with D'Ablo and ask him about the other night. The memories were still fresh in his mind, he remembered everything that had happened between him and the vampire, Ignatius. Vlad stretched a bit more before taking notice of the long black coat still thrown haphazardly over the chair. He walked over and picked it up, the coat had a few blood stains in it. Vlad found himself startled by his uncle's shout "because I don't think you are telling me the whole truth!" Vlad put the coat over his arm and started for the door. As his hand reached for the knob, he blinked and reconsidered. It was possible that he was going to interrupt a conversation between Otis and someone who was here about the incident a week or so earlier. Vlad closed his eyes and reached out with his blood, he felt Otis's presence as expected. But there was defiantly someone else downstairs, another vampire.

Otis glared at D'Ablo, who just sat there quietly. The dark haired vampire picked another of the chocolate chip cookies off the plate "Otis, I've told you everything I can. I didn't see the entire fight, so there things I don't know. Things only Vladimir could tell you," the council president pointed the roundish sweet disk at the blue eyed vampire. D'Ablo knew he was lying, he'd watched the entire fight from start to finish. He'd seen everything, seen Vladimir get stabbed through the chest. He'd watched the boy tap back into the ability to morph and form spilled blood into a weapon and kill his own grandfather with a sword made of pure blood. He'd watched the boy bite and feed off another of his own kind, and the terror and fear that gripped him when he realized what he'd just done. "And you'll have to be patient and wait for him to talk about it." D'Ablo could honestly understand why Vladimir hadn't wanted to talk about the fight. Otis sighed "that's the problem, he won't talk about it. He's even locked me from his mind and I'm worried." The blond admitted "I know, but these things work themselves out at their own pace. Give the boy some time and he'll tell you everything." D'Ablo said, the vampire put the cookie to his mouth, he nearly choked when a familiar voice spoke in a very unfamiliar way.

Vlad quietly walked down the stairs, listening to the conversation in the kitchen as he did. Vlad shook his head as D'Ablo lied about how much of the battle between him and Ignatius he'd really seen. Even Vlad knew that the vampire had probably been following him and Meredith since they left the fair grounds. Vlad reached the bottom step and turned, his feet carrying him into the archway before the kitchen. D'Ablo was sitting quietly at the table, a cookie in hand as Otis talked. "I know, but these things work themselves out at their own pace. Give the boy some time and he'll tell you everything." D'Ablo said, Vlad glanced at his uncle as the president of the Elysian council bit into the baked sweet. "Is this about the other night?" Vlad asked. D'Ablo let out a choked noise as the question left Vlad's mouth. Otis just stood there wide eyed, his azure eyes stared directly at Vlad for a moment. Then he set the mug he'd been holding down and turned. The front door slammed closed, Vlad blinked and look at the other vampire. Who was still clearing his throat, "what was that about?" Vlad asked. D'Ablo finally found his voice "Master Pravus, did you not just realized the language you spoke?" he asked "what?" Vlad walked over, the black coat still draped over his arm. "It was perfect Elysian Code" D'Ablo said and stood "but, I don't know how to speak that, I can only read it." Vlad said, which he knew was true. It had to be, Otis had yet to even begin teaching him the spoken part of Elysian Code. Though he'd picked up on the few curse words he'd heard from Jasik, D'Ablo, and even Otis. "That is true, but there is no doubt to what I just heard you speak." Vlad glanced back at the closed front door before walking over to D'Ablo and handing him his coat. The vampire quickly checked the pockets, finding nothing and letting out a satisfied sigh and thanked the boy. "Why did Otis storm out like that?" Vlad asked "your uncle is having a hard time believing what little I told him. And then here you come, perfectly speaking a language you hardly knew before hand." D'Ablo said "needless to say, he's probably a bit freaked out and scared." The vampire stood, Vlad swallowed hard. Otis was afraid, "do you think, he's afraid of me?" Vlad asked, D'Ablo paused. Vlad could tell the vampire was unsure of how to answer his question "I can't say for sure" he said. The front door reopened, Otis walked back into the house. He took in a deep breath and closed his blue eyes. When he opened them again, he looked straight at the pair. "I want to know everything that happened the other night, and I want the complete and total truth." He said, Vlad looked at D'Ablo. Who just nodded before sitting back down in his chair.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

D'Ablo, Vlad, and Jasik sat in various places in Vlad's room. The two vampires had decided to show up while Nelly and Otis had left to run a few errands. Otis, who, hadn't exactly been happy with Vlad's explanation of the fight. Particularly the part about Vlad feeding from another vampire. That seemed to be the part that Otis had taken the worst, and that made the blond panic over the situation. Though, Nelly had latter on gotten him to calm down about the situation that evening. A day later, the two vampires showed up at his door not even five minutes after the couple had left. D'Ablo had brought along a list of about 45 different languages (excluding English and Elysian) to figure out how much Vlad really knew. After about an hour or so of D'Ablo and Jasik throwing out different phrases from each of the languages on the list, it turned out that Vlad knew about 43 of them. The only two he didn't know from the list were Swedish and Haitian Creole. D'Ablo sat back against the bed and looked at Vlad "43 different languages, learned with in the span of about a week." He said Vlad looked at D'Ablo "does this have anything to do with me feeding from Ignatius?" Vlad asked, Jasik leaned over the side of the bed and looked at the list "possibly, the real effects of ingesting vampire blood aren't really public knowledge to most of Elysia." The lighter haired vampire said, "the only real solid bit of information is the idea that drinking blood from your fellow vampires can make you insane." D'Ablo stood, "any real proof of that?" Vlad asked, "No, unfortunately the only two cases are tainted from external involvement." The dark haired vampire said, his eyes then looked to Vlad. Vlad noticed a worried look cross the vampires face.

The vampire then spoke, "while I'm here, I might as well inform you of something." He said, Vlad tensed. He feared the worst when it came to anything coming from D'Ablo. Especially if it was something important that concerned Vlad. "Is it about Otis?" Vlad asked, he feared something had gone wrong. That whatever deal D'Ablo and him had managed to strike or whatever had been shot down. "No, no it does not really concern your uncle as of now." The dark haired vampire said, the bed creaked as Jasik got up "it's more like something that really concerns you." He said, "Me?" Vlad felt the over whelming urge to let out a loud groan. Of course, it always came down to him. No matter what it was, something always came down to the young Halfling. "What is it?" Vlad asked "your victory over Ignatius did not go unnoticed by the Council of Elders." Vlad blinked "Council of Elders?" he asked "yes, they are a group consisting of some of the nine oldest vampires." D'Ablo said "what do they do?" Vlad asked, he was curious now. He hadn't really remembered seeing anything on the council of Elders in the Compendium of Conscientia or his father's journal. "Well, they gather only a few times a year, typically only three or four times. Any more than that is to handle cases and disputes that local councils can't." D'Ablo said "and let me guess, the Stokerton council can't handle this situation with what I did to Ignatius?" The two vampires laughed "no, actually what you did to Ignatius convinced the other members that it might be in our best interests to leave you be for now." Jasik said and got off the bed, "unfortunately, his 'mother' isn't so keen on the idea of her son being brutally 'murdered'." Vlad blinked "mother?" D'Ablo and Jasik at each other "yes, well his sire" the president said then paused "her name is Em" he said, Vlad's mind flashed back to the evening at the diner with the pair "you mentioned her before." Vlad said "yes, what I didn't mention is that she sired Ignatius, your grandfather." Vlad blinked, eyes somewhat wide at the information.

"Which, by extent, makes her your great grandmother" D'Ablo continued "and let me guess, she wants to kill me." Vlad said, Jasik grinned "hey, you catch on fast" the thief said. Vlad let out a sigh and looked at the vampires "yeah, I'm starting to see a pattern in my life." Vlad said "if they are related to me or knew my dad, they'll either be my closest friends like Vikas and Otis, or try to kill me like Ignatius." Vlad said "and I'm leaning towards the idea that this 'Em' will want my head on a silver plate." The boy laid back on the floor and stared at the ceiling "I'm not going to lie, you could place money in that section and walk away rich." D'Ablo said, Vlad turned his head to look at the vampire again. Vlad noticed a look of concern in those deep cloud colored eyes. "What does this Council want with me?" Vlad asked. "From what little I was able to gather, Em is considering charging you with breaking Elysian Law." Vlad sat up "I thought you said I wasn't going to get in trouble for killing Ignatius!" he snapped. Vlad remembered the conversation they'd had in the woods after their first session of training. D'Ablo and Jasik had mentioned that his great grandfather had a bounty on his head and that killing him wouldn't violate the highest law.

"That's not what she wants to charge you with." D'Ablo said "then what?" the two vampires glanced at each other "well, let's start off with your father's primary crime. Engaging in a romantic relationship with a human." He said "really? They can't let that go?" Vlad asked, "My dad is dead, so is my mom." He pointed out. "Em doesn't see it that way, she thinks Tomas might be in hiding." Jasik said, Vlad groaned. It seemed that some vampires were harder at accepting the death of a wanted criminal that D'Ablo. "That's not all though" D'Ablo cut in. "oh, goody!" Vlad said "as council president, I have to do paper work on anything massive and major that happens in my jurisdiction." He said "and when you killed Ignatius, that was one of the biggest things to happen. It sent a massive shock wave through Elysia. Many knew about his bounty, but no one had the guts to even attempt to kill him." D'Ablo said "and?" Vlad pressed "the manner in which you _dispatched_ him, well let's just say that it was rather gruesome." Vlad watched D'Ablo pace around his room, "and unlike your uncle, I can't lie to the Council Elders or anyone involved in an investigation. I had to tell them everything," D'Ablo sighed "including the fact that you drank from Ignatius as he died." He said, Vlad blinked. Memories from that night flooded back into his mind as he considered the situation. He had broken a major law, "and feeding from other vampires is against the law…" Vlad murmured "yes, so that makes her want to charge you with what is essentially cannibalism." Jasik said, there was no 'essentially' about it. Feeding off one's own kind was cannibalism. And Vlad had both committed and enjoyed it, he remembered the feeling the blood gave him. The pleasure he'd felt when he drained the vampire of his blood. Though he felt like a monster, it was more than amazing to him. Vlad then glanced at D'Ablo, who stared at him with a strange expression. Vlad stared back, was that worry on his face? Before he could think too far into the idea, he found his voice "Anything else?" Vlad asked "well, there's another charge of entering a romantic relationship with a human, due to your relationship with the girl in pink." D'Ablo said and then paused "oh, and they want to go after you for revealing your true nature to at least three humans." Vlad groaned "fan-fucking-tastic!"


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Vlad sat there at the table, a cup of blood and the Compendium open in front of him though many would make the argument that he should be outside, enjoying the summer sun and freedom that came with the next few months. But Vlad was a vampire, a creature of the night. And all things considered, sunlight and vampires didn't mix well. They didn't mix well at all, even with sunscreen. Vlad turned the page of the book, glancing at illustrations of strange ancient Vampiric devices and inventions. Vlad's eyes found a paragraph on rituals involving these tools, when the front door opened. The boy glanced up and saw Otis and Nelly walking in the door. "Are you sure you will be alright?" she asked "Nelly, I've lived for over four centuries. I think I can handle fixing up and moving into a house on my own." The vampire said, Vlad closed the book. He remembered Otis and Nelly had been discussing what to do about Otis finding a place in Bathery to live. They had talked mostly about Vlad's old house on Lugosi trail. Vlad hadn't put up much of a real fight, it wasn't like the house was going to be torn down. The house would still stand, but it would be changed.

The blond haired vampire walked into the kitchen and set a small stack of paper work on the desk. Vlad smiled at him "every alright?" he asked with a grin "oh, she's just worried over nothing." Otis said, he then set a bag down on the counter. "Is she still trying to convince you to stay with us?" Vlad asked, the blond nodded. "I have something to give you Vladimir" Otis said, Vlad noticed a more serious glint in his eyes. The Halfling worried that it would be a lecture on **Not Drinking the Blood of other Vampires because it will drive you insane.** Vlad took a gulp from the mug of blood and waited for Otis to say something. "I've had a hard time talking your Aunt into this. Even after the events a week ago." Vlad tilted his head to the side. He wasn't quite sure what Otis was talking about, "it took some time, but I convinced her to let me get you a phone." Vlad blinked "really?" he asked "yes, but I have a few conditions." He said, Vlad nodded. Knowing Otis, he could practically predict the conditions. Vlad found himself actually listing them off in his head before Otis even spoke _. Call if you're going somewhere alone, contact me/henry/nelly if something seems wrong, call the police if you get mugged, don't give your number to strangers, and no sending naked pictures to girls; that just wouldn't be gentleman-like._ Vlad had to strain to not burst into laughter as Otis repeated the list nearly verbatim. Otis gave him an odd look "sorry," Vlad snickered out. His uncle just shook his head, causing a few blond locks to fall in front of the vampire's blue eyes. "I swear Vladimir" he shook his head, a small smile creeping across his lips. The elder then removed a box from the bag and handed it to Vlad, "if you want, we can get everything set up now." Vlad smiled at his uncle, "yeah, sure."

* * *

D'Ablo's hand gripped the spine of a worn out book, his mind lost in the thoughts that occupied him for the last week. Though the Council of Elders had not said for sure that they intended to go after Vladimir, D'Ablo knew it was only a matter of time before Em got her way. D'Ablo placed the book in his black messenger bag, taking books from this part of the archives was strictly forbidden. D'Ablo knew this, he'd been the one to implement the rule almost sixteen years ago. When Tomas had left Elysia, leaving behind many of his journals, which held notes and theories on the Pravus Prophecy. D'Ablo wanted to ensure they were disclosed to anyone who might turn the information over to Em. D'Ablo realized that if Tomas Tod was really alive, he'd come looking for this information. The vampire closed the bag and turned, his eyes kept a current glance around him. D'Ablo placed his hand on the glyph and watched as the door out of the archives slipped open. Silent as a mouse, the council president slipped out. Still keeping his eyes on his surroundings. "You know, people only act like this when they've done something they know is wrong." A voice said, D'Ablo stopped in his tracts and glanced behind him.

His eyes narrowed into slits at the sight of the man behind him. "Son of a bitch, Dorian" he scolded "what the hell are you doing here?" the younger looking vampire grinned "I just so happened to get on a plan to Stokerton, thought I'd stop in." the auburn haired vampire said and stepped forward. D'Ablo instinctually took a step back from the Keeper. "What's wrong?" Dorian asked, D'Ablo didn't speak "I've already had my meal, D'Ablo, I'm not going to feed off you." The vampire said, his deep brow eyes looked to D'Ablo's messenger bag. "Just like the vision" he shook his head "vision?" D'Ablo asked, he knew that Dorian had been rumored to sometimes foresee future events. But even D'Ablo found that hard to trust, given the vampire's insanity. "Yes, yes" he said, the redhead walked over and stood next to D'Ablo "I saw you leave the archives in the same manner, with the same bag you have here." Dorian gestured to the messenger bag over the vampire's shoulder. "And at some point down the hallway, you were attacked and murdered by a few members of Alumno." D'Ablo furrowed his brow "they would not dare to even consider such a thing." D'Ablo snapped, Dorian gave him a wide grin "Are you so sure of that? After all, you are taking the last of Tomas's notes and journals from the archives to hide." He said. D'Ablo set his jaw "stay out of my head" he hissed. The Keeper just shrugged "shall we walk together? Or do you want to risk assassination?" he asked, D'Ablo grit his teeth. He knew full well that Dorian was a mad man, all of Elysia knew that. But D'Ablo wasn't a complete fool, the rest of Alumno could have easily noticed the disappearance of Tomas's notes and information from the Stokerton Archives. The vampire let out a sigh of surrender "oh fine, why not?" Dorian gave the council president a wide grin, "shall we?" he gestured down the hallway.

The pair made their way through the dimly lit halls of Elysia. The Archives were kept deep within the council building, making it hard to enter without being noticed by someone. Dorian stopped before an intersection, one path continuing onto the elevators, another to a privet meeting area. The vampire put his arm out and stopped D'Ablo. "What are you-" Dorian shushed the vampire and looked down the hallway to the meeting area "there is someone here" the keeper murmured. D'Ablo reached out with his blood but felt no other vampire, other than Dorian, in the area. "Are you sure?" he asked "yes, I can hear their thoughts." He said, D'Ablo locked eyes with the Prophecy Keeper. If there was someone there then- D'Ablo's eyes widened and he looked down the hallway "they must not have a mark" D'Ablo whispered. "Yes, but we should go while they are deciding what to do about me." Dorian said and grabbed the council president by the collar of his shirt. D'Ablo let out a surprised gasp as Dorian dragged him along.

The Keeper finally released his hold when they had reached the elevators. There were two, both of which led into the main lobby of the council building. After that, one would need to take one of the separate elevators to reach the lobby of the office building and leave. D'Ablo pushed the button and the pair waited, the vampire in black tensed when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. "Don't show fear, the moment the door opens, we rush in." D'Ablo nodded "and if there are assassins on the lift?" the vampire asked "kill them, I will make sure everything is taken care of after that." The keeper whispered. D'Ablo just nodded as the doors opened, to their relief, the elevator was completely empty. They both walked in and D'Ablo turned to press the button to take them to the lobby. His slate grey eyes fixed on a figure that was just barely illuminated by the light of the elevator. D'Ablo's mind screamed that it had to be a figment, Tomas had died. He'd been in the room where it happened. He smelled the scent of death and smoke in the air. The room held all the signs of a vampire's death by sunlight. D'Ablo had been forced to investigate scenes like that many times. Most of which were murders, assassinations, or suicides. Tomas just grinned and shook his head, saying nothing as the door closed in front of D'Ablo. The vampire glanced at the panel, tempted to make the doors open again, just to confirm his suspicions. "D'Ablo, we shouldn't linger here" Dorian said, his voice pulling the vampire out of his trance. "Oh, yes of course" D'Ablo said and pressed the button.

D'Ablo leaned against the back wall of the elevator, his mind once again a buzz with theories and ideas. Trying to cope with what he had just witness, between this and the letter. He'd once again been convinced that the Vampire, Tomas Tod, was alive. He then looked to Dorian, who just stared at him. A strange, bemused smile on his face "what?" the president asked "just a little word of advice for you." He said "when touching glyphs around other vampires, try to blink or close your eyes." He said. D'Ablo stared at the keeper, obviously confused. "Dorian" he began as the doors opened, his steel grey eyes focused on the Prophecy Keeper "what the hell is that-" his question was cut off by a familiar heavily accented voice "good evening, D'Ablo" said vampire turned and stared "Vikas" he said, not surprised in the slightest to see the ancient vampire. "I didn't know you'd be coming for a visit." He said, the ancient vampire just shook his head and grinned "as expected, if you knew I would be here. We wouldn't be able to meet, now would we?" D'Ablo set his jaw and glared "well, unfortunately my hours for meetings are over, if you need to speak with me about something related to Elysia or a case, come back tomorrow." D'Ablo said and stepped forward to exit the elevator "no, no it's not that" the vampire said, his icy blue eyes narrowing. "Then what is it?" D'Ablo watched in silence as the Russian vampire pulled a small black box out of his coat pocket and shove it onto his hand. "Our _Mutual Friend_ wanted to remind you of a few things." He said, his voice low and full of malice, D'Ablo kept his face straight as Vikas leaned in close "these pins, are not to be returned until we allow it." He hissed, "Well, I told you and our _'Friend'_ that I wish to resign from Alumno for personal reasons." D'Ablo said "well, needless to say, your request has been denied." He hissed.

Dorian then cleared his throat "if it has been denied, why send assassins after D'Ablo?" the keeper asked "our intentions were not to kill, but if that were to be the outcome…" Vikas chuckled "it wouldn't be such a bad one, now would it?" Vikas grinned, exposing a pair of sharp fangs. The council president held onto his calm façade as Vikas turned "and D'Ablo" he glanced at the vampire over his shoulder "please do be honest in your next report" he said. The slate eyed vampire felt his heart skip a beat, they'd known he was lying. For how long, he didn't know. But they knew, then it clicked. Vladimir didn't know about Alumno, he didn't know that Vikas was a major part of the operation. The vampire grinned "oh yes, it seems you forgot that I am rather close to Mahllyenki Dyavol," he said, "and I can always count on the boy to tell me the upmost truth in his letters." D'Ablo and Dorian watched as the Russian walked towards the elevators on the other side of the room. D'Ablo stepped out, followed by Dorian. "You tried to leave Alumno?" he asked, the vampire just nodded. His façade failing him at last. D'Ablo slumped against the wall, small black box still in hand. Thought his fingers trembled around the smooth object.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Dorian closed the door to the loft behind him. D'Ablo placed his bag down on the cushion and then threw himself face first into the couch pillow. "I did not expect my evening in Stokerton to be this…" Dorian paused and smirked "eventful" he finished. D'Ablo said nothing, though he did let out a loud annoyed groan. The vampire with copper colored hair walked over "want me to make you a drink?" he asked, D'Ablo turned his head to looked up "yes, Vodka and Blood Wine." He said, Dorian shook his head and laughed. The vampire in black rolled over just enough to sit up "I swear, if you were a human, you would have killed your liver a million times over." Dorian said "if I were human, I wouldn't have to deal with this." D'Ablo said. "Oh please, if you were a normal human, your life would be incredibly boring." Dorian said as he opened the liquor cabinet. "Depends" the council president said "on what?" "On if I stayed human back in the past or if I was a human now." He said as he listened to Dorian pick through the bottles "yes, nothing is more interesting then paper work, deadlines, traffic, and someone trying to mug you in an alley way." The keeper said, D'Ablo found himself laughing "Dorian, I deal with most of that as a vampire. In fact someone tried to mug me yesterday evening." He said, Dorian laughed, "well, it could always-" "finish that sentence and you won't live to see tomorrow!" the vampire snapped, his fangs shooting down from his gums as a warning. Dorian just shook his head and went back to looking through the bottles. D'Ablo looked back at his bag, he hadn't had as long to consider his situation as he would have liked. He was a man of planning, he liked to make sure he could plot out and predict every possible outcome. But at this point in time, that wasn't going to be a possibility. With a soft grunt D'Ablo stood from the couch and grabbed the messenger bag. His grey eyes closed for a moment as he considered his situation. There was something he needed to share with Dorian. A secret only the keeper of the prophecy could successfully keep from Alumno.

"Dorian" D'Ablo said the vampires name "yes?" said vampire had placed the bottles on the counter and looked over "before you start, I need to show you something." The coppered haired man raised an eye brow "a secret D'Ablo?" he chuckled "sharing those isn't like you." He said, and it was true. D'Ablo was a very secretive man, everything he did had an agenda behind it. An agenda that next to no one would know other than the vampire himself. "Well, in this case, it's more than important." Dorian just nodded and followed the Elysian president into his study. D'Ablo turned on a light, revealing a room painted in dark tones. A large ornate desk sat in the center of the room, bookshelves and filing cabinets lined the walls. The book shelves were completely organized, which was a far cry from the rest of the room. It looked as if a tornado had come through at some point and thrown paperwork everywhere. Dorian glanced at the president as he walked over to one of the farthest bookshelves and set the bag down. He then signaled for Dorian to follow him over, the redhead was silent as D'Ablo began to remove a few books from a spot on the lowest level of the case.

Dorian leaned to look over D'Ablo's shoulder and noticed a glyph on the wood. "secret compartment? Is this all, D'Ablo?" D'Ablo simply shook his head "no, it's what I've been keeping in here." He said, then touched the glyph, Dorian smirked when a slight greenish glow enveloped the cloudy grey. The vampire himself didn't even notice it, but Dorian had. The keeper then noticed the wood panel slide away, revealing a compartment. Note books, papers, and folders hand been neatly arranged inside "what is all this?" he asked. D'Ablo said "this, this is what I've been taking out of the Stokerton archives in secret." He said, Dorian chuckled "breaking your own rules, are we?" he asked, D'Ablo shot him a glance. "For how long?" Dorian asked "about a week, since I got that letter from Tomas." He said, Dorian reached down and opened the messenger bag "how much is left for you to get?" D'Ablo watched him "this is the last of it." Dorian pulled a folder from bag and opened it. His dark eyes scanned over the papers within. "Are these names of Alumno elders?" Dorian looked up to see D'Ablo slipping a few note books into the compartment "yes, but the list isn't exactly up to date." The vampire said "that list is almost 16 years old, it was placed into file when Tomas left for Bathery." D'Ablo turned and held his hand out for the folder, Dorian closed it and handed it back to him "I can tell, at least three of the members on that list have been killed, one is supposed to be dead but seems to be working in the shadows, and the last-" "is quickly on his way to becoming a labeled traitor." The two turned their heads, Triage was leaning against the door frame "you know, D'Ablo you're a real peace of fucking work." She said as she shook her head. "Good morning, Triage." He said, sarcasm practically dripping from his voice, and then closed the compartment. "Do I even want to know?" she asked "for your safety, no you don't." D'Ablo said and stood. The blue haired vampire sighed "from the look you have, something tells me you got a visit from Vikas." The three walked back into the main area of the loft. D'Ablo threw himself back down onto the couch, "still want a drink?" the keeper asked. D'Ablo nodded "I could use more than just _a_ drink" the vampire said with a groan.

D'Ablo watched as Triage downed the last of her blood wine, her first blood wine. D'Ablo on the other hand had already had three glasses of his normal mixture. And it felt good "you know, of all the vampire's I can think of, it baffles me that you are the one that wants to leave the cult." She said, D'Ablo sighed "yeah, and I get my life threatened over it." He said and set the empty red stained cup down. "It might not be so bad" Dorian said, both vampires glared at the prophecy keeper. The redhead gave a dorky grin "you could always become like a secret agent and spy on Alumno. Make some plan or something to take them down or out them completely to the rest of Elysia." D'Ablo leaned forward, his elbows situated on his knees. "Dorian, this is coming from the vampire in the room that is the least sober amongst us…" D'Ablo took in a deep breath "that is a stupid idea!" Dorian just shrugged "it could also be a case where the simplest or -in this case- stupidest idea is the right solution." Both triage and D'Ablo looked at each other "how much has he had to drink?" D'Ablo asked "about half a glass" the blue haired vampire answered "so this isn't a drunken idea, It's just part of his bat-shit insanity." The council president said with a groan. Why was it that he had the distinct feeling that he needed more alcohol and to write a will for his imminent demise? Maybe it was the vodka or maybe it was just the madness of the Prophecy Keeper rubbing off on him.

Triage then stood "well, I should get going" she said "I only really came to make sure my son wasn't a bloody smear on the wall after what he's done." D'Ablo found himself laughing "yes, love you too mother" he glanced at Dorian, who was smiling. "You boys have a good night," the vampire had already started for the door "and D'Ablo" said vampire didn't speak, he just looked at her. "Try to be more careful, I don't want my next clean up duty to be your remains." The loft then fell into silence as the woman left, door softly clicking behind there.

Dorian clicked his tong, drawing D'Ablo's attention back to him "want another drink?" D'Ablo shook his head "no, no I don't" he said with a sigh "we need to continue our conversation, and for that, I need a –somewhat- clear head." He said "if you say so" Dorian leaned back in the chair "so, what are you planning with all of Tomas's notes?" "Isn't it obvious, I'm going to keep them from Tomas." D'Ablo said "I honestly hope I never have to explain to the boy what his father's real intentions are for him. Let the kid live in a world of blissful ignorance and only remember the kind and loving father, not the monster who murdered his mother." Dorian let out a slightly mocking _'aw'_ sound at the vampire's explanation. D'Ablo just shook his head "which brings me to a special request, one that I need you to honor." Dorian looked curious now, D'Ablo wasn't the type to go right out and ask for favors. At least not without working his way into it, "if anything, and I mean ANYTHING happens to me, anything that keeps me from giving the information over to Vladimir Tod and warning him…" D'Ablo paused and let out another long sigh, with in the span of a week he'd changed most of the plans he'd originally had. Now he was plotting against one of the most powerful organizations in Elysia. Possibly even the world, and he needed an ally. Someone he could count on to make sure that this didn't die with him. "I need you to give him the location of that secret compartment. He can't be taken off guard if Tomas attempts something in the future." D'Ablo said, Dorian was silent. The keeper closed his eyes, a smile crossed his lips "alright, you have my word that I will ensure that Vladimir will be entrusted with the information."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Vlad's hand gripped the branch as he swung around the tree branch. The Halfling stopped himself and crouched down amongst the leaves. His breathing heavy and labored, though he tried to force it to a steady silent rate. Silence was key, he had to go unnoticed by his enemies. He had to be unseen, unheard, and untouchable. Vlad's heart then skipped a beat when a stake whizzed by his head, just barely missing his ear. Vlad grit his teeth and jumped from the branch, this was a lot harder than he expected. He focused on the sense D'Ablo had taught him months earlier. His eyes flashed around, searching the area until he found what he was looking for. A lone figure on the forest floor, Vlad was partially sure they could at least hear him. Mainly because they were looking in his direction as he jumped through the trees. His heart raced in his chest and sweat dripped down his forehead. Vlad had just barely landed on another branch with another stake flew at him, this time he repeated the actions he'd used against the slayers and caught in. Vlad raced around the tree tops, trying to get ahead of his assailant. He just needed an opening, a small one would do and he could end this.

It wasn't long till Vlad got what he wanted, there was indeed an opening. The figure had lost track of him, Vlad grinned and stopped on a branch, judging the route he'd take through the trees. He'd need to be quick about this, with as much force as the teen could muster, he kicked off. The trees and leaves passed him in a blur, he could just barely feel his feet connecting with a few of the trunks and branches. Vlad saw the figure in black begin to turn as he leapt from the tree line, unknown to the teen, his eyes had turned a bright purple once again. Small sticks and loose leaves swirled around the Halfling in the disturbed air around him. Vlad bared his fangs in a threat to his enemy, his attacker, his foe. He was so caught up in the rush that he barely registered a pair of steel grey eyes widening in shock as he slammed into his assailant. A loud 'oof' escaped the man's lips as they fell, a modified crossbow tumbling across the grassy clearing. Vlad was quick to straddle his hips and poise the stake for a strike. "Vladimir, Vladimir" the man called out. His voice laced with what seemed to be real fear, real undeniable fear. Vlad faltered then, his senses fully returning to him. He knew who those steel grey eyes belonged to, and he'd been about to drive a stake through that person. "D-D'Ablo" Vlad felt his voice quiver. The elder vampire just stared at him, "Vladimir" there was a tone in his voice when he said Vlad's name. A tone that meant he feared the boy had once again been lost to his Pravus side. Someone then grabbed his shoulders, Vlad flinched. "Vladimir, are you alright?" Vlad looked back, Jasik stood there. "I-I-I" Vlad felt the threat of tears in his eyes. Vlad stood and backed away, the silver eyed vampire got to his feet. "Master Pravus, calm down." D'Ablo said, his voice still partly laced with fear.

D'Ablo watched the boy shake with fear and trepidation. His deep eyes shot back and forth between the vampires, "I almost killed you" the teen said, his eyes wide with a mix of emotions. D'Ablo debated his movements, "Vladimir, I think it might be best for us to postpone our lessons for a while. I need to do some more research regarding your nature." D'Ablo said, Vlad looked at him "yeah, yeah I can agree to that." Vlad rubbed his arms nervously. D'Ablo sighed "go home and rest, I'll contact you if I find anything of value in the archives." He said, Vlad just nodded. D'Ablo looked at Jasik, who had remained silent since he grabbed Vlad by the shoulders "hey D'Ablo" Vlad's voice was soft "what does the compendium even say about the Pravus?" Vlad asked "nothing of real interest, just little theories here and there surrounding the prophecy." D'Ablo said "sounds interesting to me." Vlad said "yes, until you realize that they are about as vague as a blank sheet of paper." D'Ablo pointed out. "So, anything the compendium might have on the Pravus is basically worthless?" Vlad asked "pocket lint has more value" Jasik said and walked over to D'Ablo, who shot him a glance and a smile. Yes it was pretty much true to both vampires who knew more then what was written in the Compendium of Conscientia. It was all little theories here and there on the Pravus that were either agreed upon or disagreed upon. "Master Pravus, don't you have a copy of the Compendium of Conscientia?" D'Ablo asked "I could have sworn I saw a copy on the coffee table during one of my visits." The council president recalled aloud. "Yes, but the weird thing is…" The boy bit his lip, taking a moment to consider how to explain the odd situation. "I can't read anything that even so much as mentions the word 'Pravus.'" Vlad said and ran a hand through his sweat drenched hair. "That is odd, but if you are really interested in reading them, I'd be happy to lend you a copy. We have plenty to spare." He said "yeah, that'd help a lot." Vlad sighed. D'Ablo blinked, an idea forming in the vampire's head.

"Master Pravus, we do not have to put your training on complete hold while I look." Vlad shot the vampire a questioning look "huh?" Vlad's face still betrayed him, the boy looked utterly clueless. D'Ablo looked at Jasik, then back at Vlad "you still don't know much on Elysian Law, Politics, and Customs." Vlad felt the thief wrap an arm around his shoulders. "Well no, not really" he answered "well, since it might be too dangerous as of now, what do you say to a bit of schooling in your studies on Elysia?" Vlad let out a sarcastic groan "you guys know that summer is meant to be a break from school, right?" D'Ablo chuckled, "not when you fail your classes, young one" D'Ablo said "and by far, you've done terrible in the knowledge department." Vlad smiled, he was starting to understand why his father and uncle wanted to be around other vampires so much, even while running from Elysia. It truly felt good to be around his own kind, "summer school then?" Vlad asked with a laugh "with one of the best teachers" Jasik said and patted Vlad on the shoulder. The Halfling raised an eyebrow "one of the best huh?" Vlad asked. He thought back to 8th grade year, when Otis had taught English after Mr. Craig had died. He remembered the silly costumes his uncle would wear when talking about a specific mythological creature. "Do these classes include you putting on costumes associated with the subject of the day or week?" Vlad asked, a wide grin on his face. The two vampires stared at him with baffled expressions "I'm sorry Master Pravus, but what?" Vlad couldn't hold back the laughter. But D'Ablo and Jasik didn't laugh, they both still stared at the Halfling with confused expressions. "I'll take that as a no" Vlad said, fighting back another round of laughter. As he calmed down D'Ablo stepped closer "I do not put on costumes of any kind for any reason." Vlad noticed D'Ablo sounded a bit taken aback. Vlad shook his head "shame, I guess Otis still beats you as one of the best teachers." Vlad said, D'Ablo furrowed his brow. Vlad noticed the vampire had fallen deathly silent "oh!" D'Ablo clapped his hands together in sudden recognition "does Otis Otis still do that?" he asked, a wide grin creasing the elders lips. "Well, back in 8th grade, yeah he did." Vlad said. D'Ablo chuckled "he's been doing that for years now, even when he was a college professor." The vampire in black said, "Really?" the council president nodded "yes, really" he said. D'Ablo then turned "we should head out, morning is fast approaching." The elder said, his slate grey eyes landing on the cross bow, still laying in the grass. D'Ablo then considered how close Vlad had come to putting a stake through his heart. His slate colored eyes darted back to a smiling Vlad, the boy was becoming incredibly strong and powerful, but he didn't know how to contain and control it. Another outburst like that could mean death for anyone Vlad was fighting or training with. Vlad found himself feeling a bit better about tonight, though even with the laughter, he couldn't shake the feeling of guilt. He'd almost killed someone he'd come to trust and even partly care about. He'd almost been completely lost to something even he couldn't truly grasp about himself.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Vlad sat there at the kitchen table, his mind stuck on the events of the night before. He'd almost killed D'Ablo, while Vlad still didn't entirely trust the vampire, he didn't want to actually kill him. Hell, he never wanted to kill anyone. Not Ignatius, not the slayers from the forest, and defiantly not Snow. Vlad groaned and laid his head down in his arms, a loud groan escaping him. He felt like a monster, like everything Joss had accused him off back during freshman year. A kind and familiar voice caught his attention "Vladimir, is everything alright?" Vlad looked up to see Otis standing there. "No" Vlad admitted, his Uncle scooted a chair back and sat at the table beside his nephew "Tell me what is wrong" he said, Vlad chewed his bottom lip and considered what to say. "Otis, do you ever think that the slayers do have some sort of point. That we are monsters…" Vlad murmured "monsters?" Otis raised an eye brow. "Vladimir, what brought these thoughts on?" he asked, Vlad sighed as he considered. How much was he willing to share with his uncle, to show him? Was he really willing to make his uncle afraid of his very existence, just because the Halfling wanted to tell the truth? Vlad sighed, his dark grey eyes moving down, the focused on the dark black ink. The Tenco indicators and lines that proved that he was a part of Elysia. With a large breath, he then moved his half full cup of blood in front of them. Vlad sighed and focused like he had a few weeks before. The blood began to shift as Vlad formed an image in his mind. An image of an orb, something easy and simple.

Vlad glanced at his uncle, who had a look of confusion and terror on his face as the blood moved and formed. "Vladimir" Otis said, Vlad looked away from his uncle. "I've been finding more and more about my powers, Otis." Vlad put his hand out and grasped the now solid mass of blood. Otis didn't speak as he reached out and touched the orb. "How did you learn to do this?" he asked, Vlad looked away. He wasn't going to tell him about D'Ablo's training, not yet anyways. "I don't know, but I managed to do this when I fought Ignatius." Vlad admitted. "I made a sword" as if following some unknown command, the blood reformed into a small knife. Vlad saw his uncle shake in disbelief, "Vladimir" Vlad gripped at the knife. Otis still stared at his nephew "your eyes, Vladimir" he whispered. "Are they glowing again?" Vlad asked, as if it was nothing more than a normal occurrence. Which was how it was for the young Halfling. Vlad's eyes glowed, he could survive sunlight, a stake to the heart, control blood, and who knows what else. Otis just nodded, completely speechless at the sight.

Vlad just shook his head and allowed the blood to return to its liquid state in the cup. His eyes returning to their normal charcoal color. Otis gripped at the table and stood. "Vladimir, I-I…" the blond started to pace around in quiet contemplation. Vlad wanted to peer into his uncle's mind and read his thoughts. To know what he was thinking, to know that his uncle wasn't terrified of him and what he could do. Vlad summoned up all the courage he could muster, and then spoke his thoughts. "Otis, you're not afraid of me, are you?" he asked aloud. The blond seemed to come out of his thoughts at the question. Hurt flashed across his face "Vladimir, I'm not scared of you. I love you, you are like a son to me." He said and placed his hands on Vlad's thin shoulders "but, I'm worried for you." He said "why?" Otis sighed "because, with all these strange abilities and powers…" Otis paused, his azure eyes glancing around "I'm just worried some vampires, like D'Ablo, might seek to do you harm or use you for their own gains." Vlad subconsciously cringed when Otis mentioned D'Ablo. Vlad hadn't really put much thought into the vampire's reasoning lately. Especially when it came to teaching and training him. "I just want you to be safe," Vlad was sent into silence when his uncle wrapped his arms around him and held him in a hug. "I don't want to lose you like I lost Tomas, like I almost lost Vikas, like I've lost so many others." Otis whispered. Vlad felt tears well up in his eyes, "you and Nelly are the best things to ever happen to me since I became a vampire." Vlad hugged his uncle, feeling the elder vampire shake "please, always remember that. I'm afraid, yes, but not of you, Vladimir." Vlad felt a few wet tears drip down onto his cheek "I'm afraid for you."


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 _Footsteps echoed through the Elysian Archives in London. A lone dark haired vampire with cold steel grey eyes walked amongst the corridors created by the tall and imposing shelves. His eyes looked from place to place as he searched. It wasn't 'what' he was looking for, it was more of a 'who'. The young vampire paused and listened for any sign of life amongst the old and dusty books. Old and dusty books that he'd become much accustomed to in recent years, he was the apprentice for the archive keeper after all. While most vampires tended to question why anyone would pick something so mundane, boring, and predictable. But this vampire found it comforting to know what he'd need to do each day. There were no orders that could be misinterpreted, no threats to one's life, no threat of death from someone standing across from you holding a weapon in their hands. The vampire truly felt safe and at peace amongst the books of history, law, culture, and legends of the vampire people. Silently, the young vampire reached out with his hand and touched the spine of a nearby book. It was a copy of the Compendium of Conscientia from five centuries before. Even old and out of date books like this still held some form of importance._

 _The vampire continued down the hallways of books, slowly spiraling to the middle of the large chamber. In his hand, a ring of keys only available to the council members and the keepers of the archives. As the vampire rounded a bookshelf, a door came into view. It wasn't a large door, it was about normal size to that which might be in the average house. It was the ornate carvings of it that told all who viewed it, that this was something special. There were only a handful of places in all of the world were this door would be, and all of those were Elysian archives. Behind this door, was information not available to the everyday vampire. Information on one subject in particular, the Prophecy of the Pravus. The story that seemed to be on the minds of many as of late. Thought not because it had come true, no that had not happened. It was because of a recent court case with in Elysia. A court case involving one of the world's oldest vampires, Vikas. Though the vampire had never gotten the chance to meet the vampire, he'd heard quite a bit about him from the London council president. Who seemed to spend more than his fair share of free time down in the archives. He also seemed rather taken with the prophecy of the Pravus, though the young steel eyed vampire wasn't quite sure why. It was nothing more than a fairy tale for vampires. A work of fiction to indulge in, to pretend a world under Vampiric rule was possible and within reach._

 _As the young vampire stopped in front of the door, his fingers searching for the right key, it suddenly swung open. Nearly slapping the apprentice in the face, a man dressed in a dark blue tail coat, with brown pants and black boots stepped from the room. The young vampire stumbled for words, finally settling on the older vampires name "Tomas" the elder just smiled "something you need, D'Ablo?" the vampire asked, his cold nearly black, eyes looking over the apprentice "I was sent to find you, the London council has called an emergency meeting and you are expected." D'Ablo said, Tomas just sighed and shook his head. Since the trial, there had been quite a few 'emergency' meetings with the London council. D'Ablo had only heard small bits from inside sources, the meetings had always been about Tomas. People had begun to question whether or not his friendship with Vikas would impede his judgment. "Of course, another quote-un-quote emergency meeting. He said, his old English accent coming through in his anger and annoyance. D'Ablo didn't speak as he walked past the vampire "anything you need from the room, I need to lock up before heading back." D'Ablo said "no, I got all of my notes before you arrived." He said. D'Ablo nodded and closed the door, the lock clicked as they key turned. Tomas seemed to be waiting for him, D'Ablo cocked his head to the side. "Is there something wrong, Council President?" he asked "no, no" the elder vampire shook his head. "I was just thinking" Tomas shrugged and turned, D'Ablo watched the council president for a moment. Then sighed as he walked back, only following a few feet behind the council president._

D'Ablo was pulled out of his thoughts by a knock at the office door. "Come in" he said, after a moment of still silence, the door opened. A familiar redheaded vampire entered. "Good evening, D'Ablo" Dorian said, his eyes flashed around the room. The two vampires were completely alone, "are we free to speak in here, or should we go somewhere else?" the Keeper asked. D'Ablo stood "somewhere else, call me paranoid, but it would be just like them to bug my office." D'Ablo said, his jaw slightly clinched. "where shall we go?" Dorian asked "the roof, it's the only place I know that we can talk in complete secrecy." D'Ablo said, the vampire then turned and walked over to a large bookcase. Dorian tilted his head to the side as he watched the vampire move a few books around. Dorian following after him, "if you say so" D'Ablo smiled "if you're here for the reason I think you are, then we are going to need secrecy." D'Ablo said, "Yes, of course. We don't need any unnecessary ears hearing our conversation." The keeper then glanced behind him. "No, of course not" the secret door closed with a click, leaving the two vampires alone on the roof. "So, since you're here, I take it you got my letter?" D'Ablo asked. The young vampire leaned against the metal railing.

Dorian walked over "yes, I did" his smooth voice was quiet in the night air. Though it was summer, D'Ablo couldn't help but feel a chill down his spin. "And?" Dorian sighed "you are asking the impossible, D'Ablo" Dorian said, his eyes holding a serious look. "I cannot say whether or not it's possible to help bind the boy's powers, even slightly." D'Ablo looked out at the dark sky. "Is this because of your bindings?" the vampire asked "yes" D'Ablo paused and considered the information. It was possible to bind Vladimir's powers, but how? "Dorian, is the Pravus its own separate being?" he asked, the keeper raised an eye brow "such an odd question, what makes you think all those hypothesizes are true?" the older vampire flashed a grin at D'Ablo "answer my question" the brunet said through gritted teeth. Dorian clicked his tong "such impatience" the redhead said before continuing "if I had to be honest, without breaking my oaths, I'd say it's a solid maybe." D'Ablo blinked "is that a yes?" Dorian just smiled, knowing the vampire in front of him, D'Ablo knew that it was probably a 'yes'. "So, how do we do this?" D'Ablo asked "you once told me that there was a possibility of Tomas's Journal holding a few hidden spells and rituals." Dorian recounted, D'Ablo remembered that letter. He'd written it shortly after the first training session with Vladimir. He'd been contemplating taking it from the boy earlier on for the ritual that would allow him to take the abilities of the Pravus. Now on the other hand, he'd considered taking it in order to keep the ritual away from Tomas. "Yes, I did" the vampire admitted, the keeper smiled "is it possible there might be a ritual in there to help get the boy's powers under control?" Dorian asked, D'Ablo paused "it is possible, I never got a chance to really look into the journal." D'Ablo said "if you can, then look inside. If you find anything, you know how to get a hold of me." The vampire said. D'Ablo nodded and watched as Dorian turned to walk back through the hidden door

"Coming?" the keeper asked. Dorian looked by as D'Ablo shook his head "no, I think I'll just stay here. I need to clear my mind and come up with a plan." The council president said, Dorian nodded. But as he moved his feet, a vision over took him. His eyes flashed an iridescent blue as the world swirled away. - _Dorian watched an argument unfold between two vampires. One substantially younger than the other, D'Ablo seemed to stand his ground against the man in front of him. The skyline of Stokerton behind them. There was no mistaking it, they were on top of the Council building. Dorian finally adjusted to the vision, everything became clearer and he could make out their voices "no! Enough of this already Tomas!" D'Ablo shouted, Tomas's face contorted into a look of anger and hatred. It was obvious that the elder vampire was not one who was used to insubordination. Especially not from one of his highest ranking members. "D'Ablo, might I remind you, that I am in charge of this whole operation." He said, D'Ablo just shook his head "and a good job you've done" the council president gestured to the father of the Pravus "I realized that when I reevaluated the situation. You didn't just want to create the Pravus so you could be remember as the vampire who finally managed it. Not to make a change in Elysia and the human world, like you claimed." D'Ablo spat, everything you ever passed out to us, all the promises and stories. It was all just a lie, wasn't it?!" Tomas shook his head "it seems you've lost your faith, D'Ablo" the vampire started to walk closer to the council president. Dorian then realized that D'Ablo was wearing the same clothing he'd just seen the vampire in. the dark blue shirt, black vest and pants. Dorian felt his jaw tighten when he realized it was a prophetic vision. "Allow me to ensure your poison doesn't spread." Tomas said, in the blink of an eye, the vampire had D'Ablo by the front of his shirt, his feet lifting a few inches of the ground. "For the good of Alumno and the good of Elysia after all." Tomas said with a cruel grin. D'Ablo clawed desperately at the vampire's grip in a vain attempt to free himself. The sight could almost be considered pitiful as the slate eyed man struggled. Dorians eyes widened as Tomas threw the struggling vampire over the railing. Sending D'Ablo plummeting to the streets below, Dorian rushed over. Vision or not, it was situations like this that made the keeper curse his ability. Especially if it was a vision from the past, those were the ones he'd known where unchangeable. The vampire gripped the metal railing as he looked down. Dorian flinched when he saw D'Ablo hit the pavement, blood spattered in every direction it could go. Tomas chuckled, "such a shame" Tomas said, Dorian saw the vampire tape an envelope to the metal bars. A false suicide note, Dorian wouldn't put it past the basterd. "Seems he couldn't take the pressure of Alumno after all." Tomas chuckled.-_

Dorian was pulled back into reality by a hand clasping down onto his shoulder. The keeper let out a Sharpe gasp, releasing a breath he hadn't even known he was holding. "Dorian?" D'Ablo's voice broke through the static of the fading vision. "Oh fuck" the keeper murmured, the scene below him returned to the peaceful streets of Stokerton. The people down below, completely unaware of the possible future. "What happened?" D'Ablo raised his voice and forced the vampire to face him. Dorian swallowed "I had another vision" he said, D'Ablo stared at the elder vampire. Though he'd been quite skeptical of Dorian's 'visions' before, the events from the Stokerton archives had somewhat convinced him otherwise. "What did you see?" D'Ablo asked "I saw Tomas throw you off the top of this building sometime after I left." D'Ablo visibly cringed at the thought, he then looked over the railing at the street below. Even a vampire like Vikas or Em couldn't survive a fall like that. It would be way too much for the boy to handle in such a short time. D'Ablo gulped at the distance between him and the ground, the very idea of falling to the hard and unforgiving ground… "I know this might sound weird, but want to go out for a drink?" Dorian asked "you know, just to make sure" D'Ablo just nodded "yeah, I could use a drink right about now."


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Tomas Tod drummed his fingers against the metal railing, this had been the second time that Dorian had saved D'Ablo. The vampire grit his teeth in frustration, this was getting old really quickly. D'Ablo had quickly proven to be a threat and a big one at that. Tomas didn't like threats, especially ones that could be really a hindrance for his plans. And D'Ablo, well let's just say, he'd become such a threat. Tomas had expected to find the Council President alone on the roof top. Instead Dorian had gotten another one of his visions and pulled the vampire from his clutches. Tomas glanced down, the door to the office building opened. Tomas saw the figures exit; Dorian and, a still living, D'Ablo slowly made their way down the steps of the council building. Talking between themselves, Tomas wasn't sure about what though. Even a vampire's hearing is limited without Telepathy. As D'Ablo reached the bottom step, Tomas implanted a simple command into the vampire's thoughts. D'Ablo turned and glanced out, Tomas grinned _'I want you to know something.'_ Tomas gently and quietly spoke into his mind _'this little streak of luck you're having, will end eventually. Dorian won't always be there to predict my next attack, it's really only a matter of time.'_ Tomas could see a hint of fear on the face of the council president. Dorian then turned and stared at Tomas. The vampire just grinned, in his hand was a letter. The exact same one he planned to tape to the railing if necessary. The council would see it as a suicide, hardly looking into anything future. The vampire would be given a funeral and Elysia would move on. The vice president would step up and take control till a new election could be held. The pair down below seemed to argue over something, before Dorian pulled D'Ablo away from the building.

Tomas straightened up and fixed his coat, the quiet of the rooftop was broken by the soft buzzing in his pocket. The vampire reached down and pulled the disposable phone from his pocket. Without so much as a glance at the caller ID, he answered. "What is it Vikas?" the thickly accented voice on the other line spoke "I was just calling to see if you managed to take care of our little pest problem." Tomas grit his teeth "no, unfortunately Dorian got in the way" Tomas turned to leave the roof top "again?" "Yes, it seems the Keeper is going to be a bigger problem than expected." The cult leader said, "And what of Mahllyenki?" Vikas asked "from my knowledge, the boy is greatly improving. D'Ablo has done a good job awakening his powers." Tomas said, the door closing behind him. "It seems so, it's such a shame that he'd turned against us though." Tomas chuckled "yes, he was once my favorite. Always showing promise and the ability to achieve his desires." The cult leader sat down in the office chair.

Vikas was silent for a moment, Tomas considered that the vampire was about to be called away. If so he'd have to end the conversation early "Tomas, I have considered that this could be used to our advantage though." The vampire blinked "you think that we could us D'Ablo's little acts of mutiny to our advantage?" "Yes, to some extent though, it seems Vladimir has begun to trust D'Ablo." Tomas was curious to what his friend might suggest. "Yes, I'd even wager the two have formed a sort of friendship." Tomas said, the vampire then started opening drawers on the desk in front of him. "I have considered that we should let this continue, allow them to form some sort of deeper bond." Tomas paused, his hand still in a drawer full of paper work "and then what?" Vikas chuckled "what better way to bring out the full potential of the Pravus and remove two potential threats to our operation-" "then to kill D'Ablo and blame it on Otis" Tomas let out a laugh "oh Vikas, that is genius!" he said, a grin spread across Tomas's face as he considered the situation. It would surely bring Vladimir out of this little rut he was stuck in. "I knew I kept you around for a good reason." Tomas leaned back in the chair, a small stack of council paper work in his hands. Vikas clicked his tong, a signal that he'd have to end the call. The line went dead, leaving Tomas back in silence. In his hands, he grasped the paper work he'd been searching for.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The Elevator let out a ding as the doors opened, allowing the trio of vampires to exit. Well two vampires and the young Halfling, Vlad looked around the dimly lit hallway. This was more like what he'd imagined when he thought vampires. D'Ablo and Jasik smiled down at the young Halfling, D'Ablo took the lead as they walked through the winding hallways. Vlad glanced around, it was sparsely decorated. Just a few light fixtures, deep burgundy paint, and wood flooring. Nothing like the extravagance of the office and council building above them. Vlad had to guess that this was because this part of the building wasn't heavily traveled, considering the way to get here wasn't straight from the lobby of the office building. The trio rounded a corner, Vlad noticed a large metal door at the end of the hallway. It wasn't very ornate, fitting in with the rest of plain, dark hallway. Vlad looked at the two vampires "is that the archives?" Vlad asked "yes" D'Ablo responded "not much security" Vlad looked around, he didn't see anyone else near the door ways "it's not needed, if someone wasn't meant to make it this far, they wouldn't have." D'Ablo said, a grin on his face. The trio stopped when the door ahead of them opened. Out stepped a rather young looking female vampire. Vlad guess she couldn't more than five or six years older than himself when she was turned. Her hair was a fiery red that reached just below her shoulders in light waves, her eyes an emerald green and her skin a pail ivory. She wore a long red leather dress that hugged her body in all of the right places. "Good evening, D'Ablo" she said, a seductive tone in her voice. "Good evening Mrs. Emily" D'Ablo said. Vlad watched them speak, Vlad felt her emerald eyes quickly dart to him and a smile crossed her red lips. She approached Vlad and placed the tips of her fingers under his chin. Vlad slightly felt the sharp claw like tips of her nails prick into his skin. "So, is this the little apprentice you've taken on?" Emily asked.

The young Halfling took a step back from the vampire, he wasn't quite sure what to say. This woman seemed a bit off to him, even more so than D'Ablo seemed to be. Vlad was worried that like every other vampire he'd run into, she'd want his head on a silver platter. The council president interrupted Vlad's thoughts with a laugh "Yes, this is Vladimir Tod, the son of Tomas Tod." She smiled "Vladimir Tod?" she asked "oh I remember you", her lips curling into a smile that slightly revealed her sharp fangs. "You probably don't remember me though, the only time we saw each other was about three years ago in the council chamber." She said, Vlad gave the female vampire a blank stare. Indicating that he had no clue what she was talking about. D'Ablo chuckled "Master Pravus, Emily is on the council." Vlad looked at him "oh," Vlad started racking his brain in an attempt to remember the one and only visit to the actual council room back during his 8th grade year. D'Ablo chuckled and looked back at the woman "I don't think he remembers much about that evening, the lad was probably more concerned with the fate of his caretaker." D'Ablo said. "Oh that is true" she said, a smile still on her face. Vlad felt like they might end up talking the rest of the night away. Adults had a funny way of doing that, Vlad could only wonder if vampires could end up the same way. D'Ablo glanced back at Jasik, "well, it has been nice" he said "but you have to get this little one studying?" D'Ablo nodded. With a fair well in Elysian, Emily walked off, her red hair flying back behind her.

D'Ablo placed his hand on the glyph, the large metal doors in front of the trio opened and they walked inside. Vlad looked around, a soft gasp escaped his mouth. The archives of the Stokerton were at least five floors deep, on each level was a fairly wide platform that spanned the perimeter of the room. Bookshelves stacked full of books reached up to the ceiling. Vlad walked over to the railing, the door they had entered, which was the only door into the archives, was on the very top platform. Vlad looked down, he could faintly see the middle of the room, which was like a small clearing in a forest. A forest of wood, books, scrolls and ancient artifacts unknown to humanity. D'Ablo walked up next to him "I take it you are impressed?" he asked "yeah, I didn't expect the archives to look like this." Vlad said "there is a lot of information here, Young Master." D'Ablo said, his steel grey eyes looked around the area. Vlad noticed quite a few vampires scattered about. Some pulling or placing books, others surrounded by papers and open books. Vlad then noticed the ceiling. Above him twinkled thousands of lights that looked like the stars, and in the center was a larger light. It reminded Vlad of the moon, "quite amazing, isn't it?" D'Ablo spoke the question "yeah" Vlad then felt a hand on his shoulder "we should get to work though, there is much I wish to go over tonight." D'Ablo said. Vlad nodded and followed after his mentor.

* * *

Vlad scribbled down the notes as D'Ablo talked, though Vlad had been more anxious to find information on the prophecy, D'Ablo and Jasik had quote-un-quote insisted on him taking up the planned lessons first. Then he'd be allowed to look through any of the books D'Ablo had put back on the subject. Thought at first Vlad hadn't exactly been happy with the decision, but after an hour and a half of lessons. Vlad found himself enjoying this, he wasn't quite sure what it was though. Something about having a vampire as one's teacher seemed to make lessons and class more interesting. Vlad began to consider that vampires should take over the educational system, rather than the world. Then kids would actually be able to enjoy learning. The desk around the young Halfling was littered with papers containing notes on Elysian customs and ideas. The room itself held about three white boards, all of which were full of information, listed on both places, was everything from the proper way to introduce one's self to a high standing vampire to how to conduct one's self in a trial setting. Though the compendium had little tidbits of information on such things, it didn't go in depth on the subjects like D'Ablo and Jasik had done. With a sigh, D'Ablo closed the book in front of him and pulled out a silver pocket watch. "I think we can stop here for the evening." D'Ablo said, Vlad closed the notebook and stood. The Halfling looked around "so, can I take a look in one of the compendiums before I go?" Vlad asked, D'Ablo looked at him "oh, yes of course" Vlad watched as D'Ablo reached down below the table and pulled out a large book. One that didn't look anything like the Compendium and Conscientia that he knew. Vlad shot the Vampire a questioning look, D'Ablo smiled. "Something you may not know, dear master, is that the Compendium is republished every 10-15 years with newer updates to the laws, history, and customs of Elysia. We found it to be the best way to insure that all of Vampire-Kind is kept up to date with everything that has happened." D'Ablo said, "How old is the one I have?" Vlad asked.

D'Ablo paused for a moment and thought "I'd say it is a first edition from the previous update. Your father probably took it shortly after it was placed in the archives with the other copies." D'Ablo said and set the book on the table. Vlad watched him reach down and place his hand on the cover. "I'd say your father took that with him when he left with your mother, so it's just a bit out of date." He said, the glyph on the compendium's cover glowed a toxic looking green. Vlad looked at D'Ablo and gasped, a faint click passed through the air as the locks on the book opened up. "What is it, Master Pravus?" the vampire gently opened the large book and looked at Vlad. The boy stood stock still, his eyes locked on D'Ablo's. "your eyes…" he whispered. "Master Pravus, please elaborate" the vampire said, he then started flipping through the crisp white pages. "They-they glowed" Vlad said, his voice hushed. D'Ablo paused "Glowed?" he asked, Vlad nodded. The elder vampire closed the book "when?" he asked, his voice taking on a serious tone "when you touched the cover of the book" Vlad said, the boy was mystified. He knew for a fact that he'd never seen D'Ablo's eyes glow like that before. Now, suddenly they were glowing a bright green when he touched a glyph. Vlad felt his feet move him forward as he walked around to D'Ablo's side. The boy took the book from the council president and closed it. D'Ablo didn't say anything as Vlad looked at him. "They glow like mine do" Vlad said, D'Ablo tensed "is it purple?" Vlad shook his head "no, it was more of a sickly toxic green." The young Halfling said, "green?" Vlad nodded. Then, the teen allowed himself to smile "you know, between the two of us, we could start a little club for Vampires with glowing eyes." He said, D'Ablo didn't say anything for a good long moment.

Then, without warning, the elder Vampire slammed his fists down onto the table in frustration. Vlad saw the wood splinter and break; dumping the books, a lamp, and a few other items on the floor. The loud crash from splintering wood and items crashing down to the floor echoed through the archives. Vlad found himself backing away from the elder as he let out a string of curses in Elysian and a name. Vlad stared, D'Ablo had just mentioned someone named 'Dorian' and by the sound of D'Ablo's voice; they didn't seem to be on good terms. "D'Ablo?" Jasik walked around a nearby book case. The younger vampire looked around, "what the fuck happened?" he asked, Vlad looked back at D'Ablo for a moment. Said vampire looked as if he was calming down slightly. "His eyes started glowing green when he touched the cover of the compendium" Vlad said, the council president shot the teen a dangerous look before he turned back to his assistant "yes, it seems there is something Dorian forgot to mention to me." D'Ablo said, his voice full of venom and quite a bit of anger. Vlad smiled "D'Ablo, it's not that bad" he said. The vampire looked at him, dark eyes met silver ones. "Vladimir, I have only seen two vampires with eyes that flash and glow a strange color." He said, Vlad noticed the serious tone in the vampire's voice "and they are both involved in the prophecy" he said and leaned down slightly. His face now level with the Halfling's "that would be me and who else?" Vlad asked "the Keeper of the Prophecy" Vlad stiffened "the same guy that you said might decide to make a meal out of me?" Vlad asked "yes," D'Ablo's answer was simple. "And now your eyes do something similar?" Jasik walked over, D'Ablo stayed silent and looked around for a moment "yes, my eyes do the same thing now. Which baffles me, I do not understand why they would start doing this now." D'Ablo said "maybe, because of your direct involvement lately, you might be assisting in fulfilling some part of the prophecy?" D'Ablo backed up and considered it "like you said, no one other than the keeper knows the prophecy completely." Vlad said and looked at Jasik "maybe there is supposed to be someone who helps aid the Pravus in fully understanding his powers." Vlad said, D'Ablo started pacing "I guess it's possible." He said, Vlad looked down at the compendium in his hands. The young Halfling was considering the idea of D'Ablo being involved in the prophecy a bit deeper. He was wondering what this all meant for him, had this all been planned by fate from the start? Some twisted game they were all stuck in? Or did things change when D'Ablo decided to take Vlad under his wing and teach him? Was it possible that fate and destiny could be changed so easily?

* * *

The door to the elevator closed with a soft thud, the two figures stood insolence as one selected the desired floor. As the button lit up, the man with slate grey eyes turned to look at the younger passenger. Said teen had his eyes back on the pages of the book in his hands. Vlad was reading over the Elysian code contained within the book. D'Ablo smiled at this, the boy seemed so eager to learn. So eager to know what he was to become. D'Ablo felt his smile falter, the one thing the boy didn't seem to realize was the danger he had been put into. Immortal or not, Tomas wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted. And what he wanted was Vlad's powers, Vlad's abilities, everything that made the boy the Pravus. D'Ablo looked away, he'd previously wanted to go about insuring that Vlad never learned anything about Tomas's true nature. But now, he'd begun to rethink it. He'd started considering explaining everything to Vlad, showing him every memory of Tomas that the vampire held. He knew it might destroy the boy to know the truth. To know what his father had done, had planned, and would attempt. D'Ablo grit his teeth, Vlad seemed to take notice of the elder vampire's growing anger. "Hey D'Ablo, is something wrong?" Vlad asked, closing the Compendium. D'Ablo's hands caved into fists, he'd sworn off these feelings long ago. He'd sworn to abandon the feelings of regret, sympathy, compassion, and sorrow. He had to, he had to block the feelings to properly do his job in both the Stokerton council and Alumno. "Vladimir, how would you like it if I were to share a few memories I have of your father with you sometime?" He watched then teen blink in confusion for a moment. "Really?" D'Ablo nodded. "When?" Vlad asked, moving closer to the older vampire. "Some time soon, I promise" D'Ablo said, his lips curling into a kind smile. Vlad laughed and then spoke "You're turning into a good guy, you know?" D'Ablo chuckled as the elevator doors opened "yes, yes I know" he said. The pair exited the elevator and entered the empty lobby of the office building. "And it's tearing my soul apart to think of how good I am." D'Ablo said, Vlad smiled. And the pair exited the office building to make their way back to Bathery before Vlad's disappearance had been noticed.


End file.
